'Atal Setu is Pride of India': PM Inaugurates Country's Longest Bridge in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu in Maharashtra’s Mumbai on Friday. It is the longest bridge in India and also the longest sea bridge in the country that will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport.

The bridge will also reduce the travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India and has been built at a cost of Rs 21,200 crore. The six-lane trans-harbour bridge is 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km long sea-link. . It will also improve connectivity between the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

Meanwhile, a 500-bed makeshift hospital was set up in Raigad district’s Ulwe given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the financial capital which is expected to draw lakhs of attendees. The setting up of the makeshift hospital came in view of the tragedy that occurred last year at an award ceremony in which 13 people suffered heat stroke and lost their lives.

Besides 500 regular beds, the Raigad administration has also made available 50 intensive care unit beds in the makeshift hospital to ensure the successful completion of the Prime Minister’s visit without any unfortunate incident. In addition to this, the local administration will deploy 50 ambulances, including a few cardiac ambulances, for tackling medical emergencies, Raigad collector Yogesh Mhase informed.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Mumbai also granted a rare sight to the Colaba residents as no hawker was seen on the streets. The hawker-free footpaths in the overly crowded Colaba shocked the residents. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cleared the hawkers from the streets as PM Modi’s convoy will pass through the stretch as he will move to inaugurate the 21.8 km sea link in the island city.

He also laid the foundation stone of an underground road tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway in eastern Mumbai to Marine Drive in south Mumbai, on Friday.

The 9.2 km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than Rs 8700 crore.

PM Modi Conducts Roadshow in Mumbai

PM Modi along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar greets crowds gathered at the public event, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 12,700 crore, in Navi Mumbai.

While addressing people after the inauguration, PM Modi said that Atal Setu is  the ‘pride of India’ and the new infrastructure will boost Mumbai’s economy.

The prime minister also congratulated the  Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for working for the development of the state.

Modi further said at the meeting, “Atal Setu is the picture of developed India. This is a glimpse of what a developed India is going to be like. In a developed India, there will be facilities for all, there will be prosperity for all, there will be speed and there will be progress. In developed India, distances will be reduced and every corner of the country will be connected. Be it life or livelihood, everything will go on continuously, without interruption. This is the message of Atal Setu.”

PM Modi in Maharashtra Today

Following the formal inauguration of the Atal Setu, PM Modi is set to proceed to attend a public programme at around 4:15 pm in Navi Mumbai where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 12,700 crore.

All You Need To Know About The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

1. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, stretched at a length of 21.8 km, originates from Sewri in Mumbai and terminates at Nhava Sheva in Uran taluka in Raigad district. After the inauguration, the bridge will become the longest sea bridge in the country and the 12th longest in the world.
2. The bridge comprises a 16.5-km sea link and a 5.5-km land link. The sea link is a six-lane highway (three on either side and 2 emergency lanes). The bridge will cut down the journey from the current two hours to just around 15-20 minutes.
3. The one-way toll on the MTHL is Rs 250 and the round-trip toll is Rs 375 for the first year. The rates will be revised post-review after one year from the commencement of operations.
4. Ahead of its launch, the Mumbai Police has said the maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on the MTHL will be 100 kilometres per hour, while motorbikes, autorickshaws and tractors won’t be allowed on the sea bridge.
5. The bridge was earlier scheduled to be inaugurated and made open to the public on December 25, 2023, but the inauguration was pushed for January because of several last-minute works.

(with agency inputs)